546 
Geographical Distribution of the Onychophora. 
Relation between the Geographical Distribution and the classi- 
fication of the Onychophora. By A. Sedgwick, M.A., Professor of 
Zoology and Comparative Anatomy. 
[Read 24 February 1908.] 
(Abstract.) 
The Onychophora comprise the single genus Peripatus which 
was discovered in St Vincent in the Antilles in 1826. Later, 
specimens of it were obtained from South Africa and Australasia, 
and its arthropodan nature was established by Moseley in 1874. 
In 1888 it was shewn by the author of the present communication 
that the species of it fell into discontinuous groups, all capable of 
precise definition. At present seven such groups are known, each 
occurring in a definite geographical area. These have been exalted 
to the rank of genera and grouped in families, but the author 
thinks that it is inadvisable to take this step at the present time. 
The geographical groups, together with the names which have 
been applied to them by the author, are as follows: 
(1) Neo-Peripatus from the neotropical region as far south 
as Rio de Janeiro. 
(2) Congo-Peripatus from the Congo district in Africa. 
(3) Eo-Peripatus from Malaya (Malacca and Sumatra). 
(4) Capo-Peripatus from South Africa (Natal to Cape Town). 
(5) Melano-Perlpatus from New Britain. 
(6) Austro-Peripatus from Australia, Tasmania and New 
Zealand. 
(7) Chilio-Peripatus from Chili. 
The author shewed (1) that these geographical groups of 
species are natural zoological groups, the members of which are 
more closely allied to each other than to those of the other groups ; 
(2) that the distinguishing specific characters are distributed in an 
entirely haphazard manner among the different specific groups, so 
that it is quite impossible to shew their phylogenetic affinities by 
any tree-like arrangement. 
